Claggett/Rey Gallery hosts new exhibit this March
/VailDaily
The exhibit features paintings from impressionist artist Derek Penix and sculptor Jane DeDecker
By Carolyn Paletta
“Apples”
Derek Penix | 30"×30" | Oil
The Claggett/Rey Gallery in Edwards has a new exhibition opening on March 1 that will run through the end of the month. The exhibit features works from painter Derek Penix alongside the sculptures of artist Jane DeDecker.
Originally from Oklahoma, Penix is now based out of Southern California. He grew up in a family of artists and has been painting professionally since just out of high school.
Penix said that he is drawn to a wide variety of subjects, and most often paints in series, similar to Monet’s studies of haystacks or lily pads. When a scene or object catches his eye, he proceeds to capture it from multiple angles, lighting, textures, and so on, producing multiple perspectives and sensations from a single scene.
His exhibit at Claggett/Rey is titled “Colorful Dimensions,” and includes over 20 selections from his various series, with subjects such as swimming koi fish, fruit and aspen trees, ocean vistas and more. Penix tends to gravitate towards scenes with bright lighting and a sunny atmosphere, resulting in rich colors that maintain a natural feel.
Maggie Rey co-owns the Claggett/Rey Gallery with her husband Bill and is responsible for curating the various exhibitions that they show each year. This is not the first time that they have shown Penix’s work at the gallery, and she said his work always resonates with buyers in the valley.
“Derek’s work is very impressionistic – big broad strokes of beautiful color, and I think his pieces draw you into an intimate setting,” Rey said. “Whether it’s a high perspective, looking down upon the streets of New York, or it’s in the middle of an orange or apple orchard looking through the branches, he draws the viewer in and just allows you to really appreciate these colorful dimensions.”
In addition to Penix’s paintings, the gallery is displaying the work of Jane DeDecker, a sculptor who focuses on the human form. Her figures are composed out of clay, and evoke the natural posturing and movement of living beings.
“Emily Dickinson”
Jane DeDecker | 10"×8"×6" | Bronze
“DeDecker’s sculptures stop life in mid-sentence – somewhere between inhaling and exhaling – and give it form,” DeDecker’s artist description reads. “She tells a story through the simple moments that imprint our lives and define us.”
Over the course of her decades-long career, DeDecker has placed over 175 life and monumental sized public sculptures in over thirty-three states. She has also spearheaded the “Women’s Monument Project,” which advocates for increasing the prominence of historical female icons in public art across the country. DeDecker has sculpted women such as Harriet Tubman, Emily Dickinson and Amelia Earhart for public works projects, and helped pass legislation to install the first outdoor monument to commemorate the women’s suffrage movement in Washington, D.C.
“Of the roughly 7000 recorded public art works in our country, a mere 10% are dedicated to historical female figures, and many of these are allegorical,” DeDecker writes. “I believe it is very important to give a face to the women who helped bring our Nation where it is today and inspire today’s girls to be leaders in tomorrow’s world. Their likeness and achievements need to be recognized.”
A number of DeDecker’s works from the Women’s Monument Project will be shown at the Claggett/Rey Gallery this March.
Rey believes that the DeDecker’s style of sculpture will compliment Penix’s impressionistic works, an experience that she hopes many in the community will come experience for themselves.
“She’s very unique in the fact that she can capture the movements in clay with the simplest strokes. It’s a very painterly way of sculpting,” Rey said. “The pairing of these two together is going to be very dynamic, with a lot of color and movement.”
The new exhibition opens this Tuesday, March 1, and ends on Thursday, March 31. For more information and access to a digital lookbook of available selections, visit claggettrey.com/exhibitions.